13Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Conservatives should buzz-off with their pesticide threat to British bees

Conservatives should buzz-off with their pesticide threat to British bees

Borough news
The Conservative Government has just overturned a promise they made not to allow farmers to use bee-harming pesticides on their fields. Use of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam has just been permitted for emergency use on sugar beet seeds this year, despite an explicit pledge the Government made to maintain a ban. Neonicotinoids are known to be extremely harmful to bees, and Britain’s bee population is already in serious decline. Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, thinks the government should buzz off with their threat to one of Britain’s best-loved insects. Commenting he said: “Conservationists are clear that the use of this pesticide will threaten not only bees, but also wildflowers and the human population itself as water courses could be contaminated. “It is notable that the ban on neonicotinoids…
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13Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

PM’s migrant comments ‘outrageous and wrong’

Parliamentary news
Responding to Boris Johnson's inaccurate comments about the ‘no recourse to public funds’ rule at Parliament's Liaison Committee, Liberal Democrats Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: “It is outrageous and wrong for the Prime Minister to suggest that the ‘no recourse to public funds’ rule is aimed at people who are in the UK unlawfully. "He should know that it’s a standard condition imposed on most people who come to live and work here on a visa. “The ‘no recourse to public funds’ rule is particularly damaging during the Covid crisis, preventing many families who have lost their livelihoods overnight from accessing the Universal Credit safety net. “Since the start of the pandemic, Liberal Democrats have been urging Priti Patel to suspend the rule for the duration of the crisis,…
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13Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dem peers defeat Government again to add “Spy Crimes Bill” safeguards

Lib Dem peers defeat Government again to add “Spy Crimes Bill” safeguards

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat peers have today helped to pass cross-party amendments to the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill, as the number of Government defeats on the controversial new law rose to four. A cross-party amendment [Amdt 15], co-sponsored by Liberal Democrat peer Lord Paddick, places limits on the types of crimes that can be authorised under the Bill – ruling out murder, torture and sexual assault. It was passed by 299 votes to 284. It follows a Liberal Democrat amendment [Amdt 6] that was passed on Monday, which raises the test for authorising criminal conduct from “believing” to “reasonably believing” that it is necessary and proportionate to do so. The vote was 282–259. The Government suffered two further defeats this evening on cross-party amendments [Amdts 22 and 24], both…
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13Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Brexit chaos costing fishing industry £1million a day

Brexit chaos costing fishing industry £1million a day

Parliamentary news
Brexit chaos is costing the Scottish fishing industry £1million a day. Time-consuming new customs and health paperwork is sparking long delays, with one Scottish fishing business losing £50,000 on a single consignment. In another alarming development, fish prices have plummeted by 80 per cent at Peterhead Fish Market, while a third of Scotland's fishing fleet is tied up in the harbour. Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has secured an urgent question in Parliament tomorrow (Thursday) morning at 10.30am, in which he will address the devastating impact the Government’s trade deal with the EU is having on the industry. Alistair Carmichael said: “After a week of intensifying disruption for seafood exporters and with long-term challenging from the deal as well, I am glad to have secured this urgent question to…
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13Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Tories kill bid to guarantee NHS heroes the right to live in the UK

Tories kill bid to guarantee NHS heroes the right to live in the UK

Parliamentary news
Lib Dems have vowed to fight for healthcare workers’ rights after a Bill to give them the indefinite leave to remain was effectively axed by the Tory government. Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine tabled the Immigration (Health and Social Care Staff) Bill 2019-21, which was due for its second reading on Friday. But the Government have decided to axe all sitting Fridays until the end of March, meaning dozens of Private Members Bills will effectively be killed off. Ms Jardine’s Bill proposed that all health and social care staff from outside the EU would be granted indefinite leave to remain, giving the peace of mind about their immigration status and granting them rights enjoyed by British citizens. Christine Jardine said: “Like the rest of our wonderful NHS and care staff,…
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13Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government must give judges power to determine if genocide committed

Government must give judges power to determine if genocide committed

Parliamentary news
Speaking after Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab's statement on the situation in Xinjiang, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Layla Moran said: “Whilst I was pleased to hear the Foreign Secretary say that more must be done about the human rights abuses being committed against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, it is deeply disappointing that the Government still refuses to label it as genocide. "Given China's blocking of routes to pursue genocide judgements through international courts, the UK surely has a responsibility - in line with its obligations under the Genocide Convention - to find alternative routes make legal determinations of the crime of genocide. "We need to allow judges to provide expert input to ensure that our values are upheld, and we need to see the Government go further to ensure…
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13Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Home Secretary adds to COVID rules confusion

Home Secretary adds to COVID rules confusion

Parliamentary news
Responding to Home Secretary Priti Patel's COVID press briefing, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: “The Home Secretary can insist as often as she likes that Government guidelines are “actually clear and simple”, they aren’t. In her own press conference, the Home Secretary added to the confusion by talking about “outdoor recreation” instead of exercise. “The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Home Secretary to properly support the police and the country as a whole by making sure the guidelines on lockdown are crystal clear and understood. "At the end of the day the spirit of the law is just as important as the letter of it in protecting people from the pandemic. The police cannot respond to every potential breach of the rules and so it…
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12Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Postage subsidy for small businesses to help them take on Covid

Postage subsidy for small businesses to help them take on Covid

Parliamentary news
The Government should introduce subsidised postage for small businesses to help them cope with the cost of trading online, according to the Lib Dems. Christine Jardine, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Treasury, will call for it to be included in a government support package for businesses in an adjournment debate she has secured in Parliament tomorrow (Weds). Christine will also call for the Government to come up with a long term strategy to help businesses cope with the enormous burden of debt that many will now face. Previously, Christine met Minister Paul Scully and wrote to the Chancellor Rishi Sunak about the postage issue, and has called for an extension to the furlough scheme until at least the summer and support for the millions who are still excluded from Government…
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12Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Parents must be given vouchers instead of ‘woefully inadequate’ food parcels

Parents must be given vouchers instead of ‘woefully inadequate’ food parcels

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called for parents to be given vouchers after pictures of 'woefully inadequate' food parcels were shared on social media. Liberal Democrats Spokesperson for Education, Daisy Cooper, has written to the Secretary of State for Education to urge him to investigate. Daisy Cooper said: “It is completely unacceptable that parents have received woefully inadequate food parcels in place of free school meals. "The amount of food parents have received to feed their children is not anything like enough to provide an adequate, nutritious lunch every day. Nor do they appear to represent value for money, given what the parcels should theoretically be worth. "I have written to the Secretary of State asking him to investigate the situation urgently and replace these abysmal hampers with food vouchers. "Time…
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12Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government must go further and faster to vaccinate most vulnerable

Government must go further and faster to vaccinate most vulnerable

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have welcomed the newly published vaccine delivery plan but have urged the Government to go 'further and faster' to protect the vulnerable. Munira Wilson, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health, said “Vaccinating two million people is something to be welcomed. However, it shouldn’t mask the fact that government needs to go further and faster if it is to reach all of the most vulnerable in society by mid-February. “I’m certain that people will queue safely round the block 24 hours a day, seven days a week to get the vaccine and that is exactly what should be available. It is vital the Government doesn’t waste a moment, day or night, in the race against the virus. “With cases and deaths sadly still on the rise this is the…
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